[Lasnetmail] Sue Leigh from Lima

[LASNET]

Below is an account of last week´s happenings here and will find out if they want letters/emails of support
Thanks in soidarity 
Sue
4 Demonstrators shot by police in Peru
Last week the government here declared a state of emergency in seven provinces in response to protests by farmers. The farmers blocked the main highways and train lines with stones and branches.The airport into Cusco was also blockaded by protesters.
The main demands of the protesters:
The rejection of a law which wants to centralise the management of agriculture to the detriment of small landholders.
A more equal distribution of water rights
Support for small farmers affected by the free trade agreement with the US
The farmers were also concerned about the amount of pollution caused by mining.

The government´s response to the protests was to label the demonstrators terrorists and invoke Article 283 of the Penal Code which makes it illegal to impede or cause damage to public services such as transport. They were ordered to respond to the protest with  force and as a result the police shot and killed four protesters and injured many more.
Human rights groups have protested the brutal police response and here,in Lima, there will be a vigil and a demonstration in front of the Ministry of the Interior.

Demonstrations and 48 hour stoppage in Cusco
Last week the population of Cusco initiated a 48 hour stoppage to protest a law (la Ley De Inversion en Turismo ) which would permit
foreign and national capital to be used to construct hotels etc.near zones of archealogical importance. The protest therefore was to defend Cusco´s heritage sites from further development.
All businesses closed, the airport and train lines were blockaded and all trips to the tourist mecca of Machu Pichu had to be cncelled.
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